Ex-Gymnast Doc Larry Nassar’s Federal Porn Plea Stings Victims

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Larry Nassar, the former Michigan State University and Team USA sports doctor who has been accused of sexually assaulting more than 100 gymnasts under the guise of medical treatment, has accepted a plea deal with the government on federal pornography charges, according to media reports.

In exchange for pleading guilty to three charges, Nassar, 53, will escape prosecution on more serious charges of sexually exploiting children at his home, his swimming pool and during “interstate/international travel,” according to the agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan. The plea agreement drew a sharp reaction from an attorney representing Team USA gymnasts who said they were molested by Nassar at national and international competitions and at the training ranch run by former national team coaches Bela and Marta Karolyi, ESPN reported.

Nassar was a physician for Team USA Gymnastics through four Olympics Games. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Grand Rapids Patch,or click here to find your local Michigan Patch. Also,if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Nassar’s agreement with the Justice Department was signed June 23 and is expected to be filed Tuesday in federal court in Grand Rapids. In it, Nassar pleaded guilty to three charge, including receipt and possession of child pornography and destruction and concealment of records, The Detroit News reported.

Federal agents arrested Nassar on pornography charges last December. According to the testimony of an FBI agent, authorities found 37,000 images or videos of child pornograpy on Nassar’s property, including some videos the agent said showed Nassar sexually assaulting young girls in his swimming pool.

Separately, Nassar faces three criminal trials in the assault of nine women or girls in the Lansing area, and civil lawsuits by more than 100 women or girls alleging he sexually abused them.

Among those whose cases won’t be prosecuted under the federal plea agreement are two children who said Nassar abused them during international travel between 2006 and 2012, according to the court document obtained last week by The Detroit News.

After news of the settlement broke, Irvine, California, attorney John Manly called the government’s agreement not to prosecute Nassar on the most serious cases “cowardly,” and said young athletes who gave up their childhoods to compete for their country “deserve better than this,” ESPN reported.

“They've told our clients that they are not prosecuting their cases,” said Manly, one of the lawyers representing more than 90 women or girls who have accused Nassar, including former Olympians and national team members.

“Many of our clients have spoken to and given evidence to the FBI. They gave that evidence and went through the trauma of reliving their experiences with the expectation that they would get justice,” Manly said. “Dr. Nassar molested young women at the Olympics. He molested young women at national competitions. And our country is not going to charge him? The message that sends these women is: ‘You don't matter.’ ”

Nassar exited the international stage without notice just before the 2016 Rio Olympics, and before the Indianapolis Star’s explosive report on USA Gymnastics’ handling of sexual abuse allegations against Nassar and others associated with the team. The story broke on the eve of the Rio Olympics.

Nassar, who has been denied bond, could spend up to 40 years in prison on the federal charges he is admitting to in the plea agreement.

Michigan Attorney General’s Office photo